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Simple To Use, Easy To Clean, Produces Paninis That Have To Be Seen!

I've always felt that the best way to surprise someone with a gift is to purchase something that they would never buy for themselves...

Surely though, this means that it's probably something they don't want, need and quite possibly will not like in the least.

Well, I received a gift recently that was a surprise for two reasons.

1. It was a birthday present and it wasn't my birthday. A confused relative, but hey, never look a gift horse in the mouth so I kept quiet. It wasn't actually a horse though!

2. The gift appeared to be a Breville sandwich toaster. Mmm, obviously I'm not considered by certain family members to be as rock and roll as I thought I was.

I guess I could have thrown it through a hotel window thus reclaiming my former status but common courtesy ruled this out, so I made do with a "Ooooh, I've always wanted one of these!"

So, there it sat in its box on the table for a day and a bit, until number one son ambled by as teenagers do and proclaimed "Oh cool, we've got a panini press!"

A what? Panini? Don't they produce football stickers?

Apparently no. If looks could kill, my son would be busy calculating his inheritance right now.

Looks like I'm the proud owner of a Breville Sandwich Press. Not a sandwich toaster, oh no sir, a press in which I can now toast panini, ciabatta and focaccia breads and I have to admit that I'm lovin' it!

It's a substantial piece of kit and you can fit three Panini at a time under the floating hinged lid. It also has an adjustable top plate allows you to fit a variety of bread sizes underneath and you can stuff your Panini full and it fits no problem.

The cooking plates are flat and non stick, so although you don't get that grill pattern on your finished sandwich, it does make it a lot easier to clean as you don't have to get into any grooves. There is also a raised edge around the bottom plate so if you have any spills from your snack, it won't leak off the surface.

It's a bit of a looker too, with it's chrome finish and black stay cool handle, so you wouldn't be embarrassed to keep this out on the worktop, which is where mine is going to stay at least until the end of summer. Once it is stored away it stands upright with the chord wrapped around it so minimal storage space required.

Dimensions are as follows:

Depth: 26.9 cmLength: 32.8 cmHeight :9.7 cm

The sandwich press also has non slip feet so it sits on the work surface safe and secure. It also has a ready to cook indicator, so you know when your fired up and good to go. Red light shows power on and green is ready to rock!

Simple to operate, easy to clean. Fantastic!

Usually retails for approx £34.99 unless you can convince a generous but confused relative that it's your birthday!